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A new type of heart valve made with cow tissue and inserted by catheter was hailed on Sunday as a major breakthrough that could eliminate the need for open heart surgery in some patients, US doctors said Sunday.

Heart valve

In anatomy, the heart valves maintain the unidirectional flow of blood in the heart by opening and closing depending on the difference in pressure on each side. They are mechanically similar to reed valves.

There are four valves in the heart (not counting the valve of the coronary sinus, and the valve of the inferior vena cava):